Lisa Rumsey Harris

The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume

For those of us not believing the airbrushed photos of models advertising a dream image of ourselves if we just buy the product / service / rhetoric, the story of Treasure Blume might be the inspiration everyone, especially young women, always seek. The book is actually meant for the Young Adult market who ravages romantic stories like forbidden midnight chocolate binges. For older witches like yours truly, this is a tongue-in-cheek but fun read. We just do it with our lips zipped and a smile on our faces :-)

However, the protagonist is more real than the fabulous faces adorning a magazine cover or young women's dreams, and that makes her story special. Nobody likes her on first contact. Wow, how would you feel when it happens to you? Does this story resonate within yourself? Or do you know how she must feel in some or other way?

She accepts her genetic looks, educated herself, got a cat and prepared to stay behind when pheromones hit male and female members of the human specie. She instinctively knew that the visual satisfaction(for men) and nesting instincts for young women( read: nice house, nice car, promising bank accounts and looks) attracted the sexes to each other like moths to a flame. The hunt for the very best breeding partner did not promise a winning place for a girl like Treasure Blume. She believed more in her mirror and learnt to turn her back on the people who judged her by her looks alone. She compensated with a refreshing sense of humor nevertheless.

But there are men such as Dennis who got burnt by the flame of the romantic candle the first time around. He was left deeply hurt and with a child he had to raise on his own. He would soon discover more in the teacher who made his daughter happy.

This is a delightful read for the right generation of optimistic love-addicts. It is peppered with wit and wisdom and a feeling of well-being. A great addition to the romance genre, I would say. A book with real heart! I loved Treasure Blume's self confidence and guts!… (meer)

Treasure Blume is a unique young lady. She does things her own way and enjoys it that way. One thing she doesn't enjoy is her family curse. Family lore shows that curses are passed down in different ways to the women in their family. Treasure's curse is that everyone hates her almost immediately. She is so off-putting that most people don't bother to get to know her. However kids seem immune to the curse, so Treasure is happy with her job as a teacher. Things start to change though with Treasure's new job. Life may never be the same for Treasure and everyone she meets as things begin to change for her.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I thought I was getting a fairly typical love story, but instead I got a very interesting tale of a very strange young lady. I was afraid that Treasure's quirkiness might get a bit grating, but it never did. Treasure is just someone who lives life on her own terms and in her own way. I think some of the things she did were just a way to shield herself from the poor treatment she knew she would get from others. I particularly loved Treasure's grandma. She was a firecracker and someone I would always want on my team.

I really thought that the way Treasure's family "curse" was dealt with was really profound. So many times there are things in our lives that we see as curses, when in fact we can use them to our advantage. Treasure had to figure out how to make her curse work for her. In doing that, she was able to find people who could look past their initial reaction to her and see her for what she truly was. This becomes a turning point in Treasure's life. I thought that Treasure was a fun and interesting young lady. This book is a fun quick read that will just make you feel good about life.

Book provided for review.… (meer)